love.fútbol continues its expansion into the US and in Miami

This is the second sports space that the nonprofit unveils in the Miami metropolitan area in 2023

The organization continues to bring its proven community engagement methodology to build safe sports spaces in US communities

(Miami, FL – August 26th, 2023) – Only two months after inaugurating its first mini-pitch in the Miami metropolitan area, love.fútbol is opening its second space in the region. Thanks to the support of ESPN, Beyond Sport, and the Pincus Family Foundation, the community close to Cagni Park will now have a new sports space to call their own.

Cagni Park is located in North Miami, an area known for its diversity and vibrant immigrant community with over 20% of its population being non-citizens. This new pitch by love.fútbol continues the organization’s mission to create sports spaces that serve as more than a safe place to play children, but in addition, become platforms to connect and strengthen communities through the power of sports.

Given Miami’s multi-cultural composition, its historic role as the bridge between Latin America and the US, and its run-up to serve as a 2026 FIFA World Cup Host City, love.fútbol believes this space has the unique potential to bring diverse communities together through their love for the game.

“Participating in the community build project at Cagni Park with love.fútbol was so rewarding. The team worked so hard to bring people together and that was very evident at the build day when kids and adults of all ages and from so many different backgrounds came together in service. It was so much fun to see new and old friends enjoying the different projects and engaging in play when they had free time. I am so excited to have this new recreation feature in our community, it is going to be a much-loved spot for many different people in North Miami,” local community member and volunteer Sara McDevitt said.

With upcoming pitch openings planned in Baltimore, Memphis, and Philadelphia this year, love.fútbol reinforces its commitment to bring to the US its community engagement methodology that promotes local participation in the transformation of a space, leading to local residents’ buy-in and ownership of the project. The organization works alongside communities worldwide to create, reclaim, and redefine sports spaces that serve as a permanent asset for their neighborhood. love.fútbol’s unique method has been generating a lasting impact in communities around the globe for more than 17 years and plans to create the same impact in communities across the United States.

“We are proud to open this next space in North Miami, our second in the greater Miami area, and seventh project in the USA. Every day we are inspired by the individuals that we meet in communities across the world that are willing and ready to stand up for the betterment of their communities and children. The community of Cagni Park brought incredible energy to this project, and leave us confident about their continued engagement to sustain and maximize the impact of this space long-term,” said love.fútbol CEO Drew Chafetz. “It further leaves us motivated to continue our work across the country, where we know countless communities are ready to take action to ensure their kids have a safe space to play.”

This project was only possible thanks to the hard work of the local community and the unwavering support of ESPN and Beyond Sport, founding partners of the Return to Play Fund, an initiative that uses sports to promote youth mental and physical wellbeing, address racial inequality, and increase access to play sports. Other sponsors joined the initiative such as love.fútbol’s long-standing partner, the Pincus Family Foundation.

Over 100,000 children and adults have been impacted through love.fútbol’s projects and community engagement methodology, which has been recognized by global institutions including FIFA, the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace, Ashoka, and the Inter-American Development Bank. For this project in the Miami metropolitan area, local volunteers including parents, grandparents, and other youth advocates came together to plan, organize, and help build their sports space.

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ABOUT LOVE.FÚTBOL

love.fútbol is a global non-profit that partners with communities to create, reclaim, and redefine sports spaces as sustainable platforms for social change. Since 2006, the organization has partnered with the biggest names in sports, business, and nonprofits to help close the play equity gap in over 60 communities across five continents, where close to 100,000 people have the chance to be active, connect, grow, learn, and play. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn. #MoreThanAPlaceToPlay

Return to Play Fund: Global foundation, Beyond Sport, and leading multimedia sports entertainment brand, ESPN, co-founded the Return to Play Fund in 2021 to use sports to center health, well-being, and systemic solutions to the heart of community recovery across the United States. The Fund supports nonprofit community sports organizations that are not only dedicated to getting young people of color moving again, but also committed to providing them with guidance and opportunities to grow, succeed and be confident in their abilities. The Pincus Family Foundation is a Funding Partner of the Return to Play Fund supporting its infrastructure focus area.